Creep
by pipedreamdragon
Summary: The Shinohina fic you've been waiting for! While Naruto leaves for training, Shino and Hinata become close. Upon Naruto's return, how will it affect their growing relationship? Rated M for delicious lemons in later chapters. Enjoy! Edit: Now with less typos and more page breaks for easier reading.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Don't sue me.

==+Creep+==

by Pipedreamdragon

=Chapter 1=

Hinata Hyuga stared wistfully at Naruto Uzumaki for the last time, as he turned to depart with the strange elder man who swore to take him under his wing for the next three years. As the figure of the young shinobi grew smaller and smaller into the horizon, Hinata clutched a hand to her heart to dull the pain of his absence. How she yearned for the courage to touch him, or simply tell him goodbye, but such was not the case for little Hinata. It seemed that her fate was to hide gingerly behind telephone poles and fences until the end of time.

What Hinata was unaware of was that the person who was being watched from afar was not always Naruto. In fact, at this particular moment in our story, Hinata was under the survellience of another shinobi...a certain insect-weilding youth by the name of Shino Aburame. Ever since the assembly of Team 8 so many months ago, Hinata was rarely without the company of her team mate (whether she knew it or not).

It was true that not many suspected that Shino had certain feelings for Hinata, let alone was capable of having any sort of emotion for anything with less than six legs. Shino was definitely considered by his peers to be the "strong, silent" type, but with an entire body infested with tiny black beetles, most were perfectly happy with just letting him be. However, Shino was not without company. Despite his stern demeanor and barely tolerable jutsu, Shino proved time after time that he was an extremely loyal and dependable team mate, and that earned him quite a bit of respect from Hinata and his other partner in crime, Kiba Inuzuka. In fact, Kiba was about as close to a "best friend" as Shino could get, and Hinata was perfectly content with the two of them. However, over time it became increasingly obvious to Kiba and Shino that Hinata was irrevocably infactuacted with the town hooligan (for reasons beyond their understanding). Kiba made a habit of poking fun at Hinata for her crush, and Shino would often join in; not to tease her, but to simply state facts as he often did.

But when was it that Shino suddenly realized that he wanted to be the object of Hinata's affections? It was hard to say. He was always quite fond of Hinata...she was sweet as a honey, gentle, and kind. She also had a tendency to be quiet, which Shino preferred over Kiba's boisterous attitude. However, she was undoubtedly the weakest member of the team, which was dissapointing considering her heritage. Similar to her cousin, Shino found himself disliking her for her weakness, as she was often more of a burden than a boon on missions. However, this also lead him to naturally be more protective of her, and perhaps it was these instinctual feelings of wanting to guard her from harm that eventually led him to warmer emotions for her.

While training one afternoon, Shino was studying a sparring match between Kiba and Hinata. He focused on the dodges and the hits, and took note of the movements like he usually did. However, the more he watched, the more he started to notice things that he hadn't before. Was Hinata's skin always that pale? Did her eyes always have that hue of lavender in them? Did she always have that mole behind her ear? Were her lips always that pink?

When did Hinata become so beautiful?

"Shino-kun?"

Shino snapped out of his daze and shook his head. Hinata stood a few feet in front of him, sweating and bruised from her match with Kiba, but nevertheless calm and sweet as always.

"Hmm?" was all Shino could muster in response.

"It's getting dark...did you or Kiba want to go eat before we head home?"

Shino blinked behind his shades in suprise.

"Well...I.."

"Actually, I need to head home and give Akamaru a bath. You know how he stinks after a match." Kiba interrupted while wiping the grime off his face with a towel.

"Oh..okay..." Hinata replied quietly, turning back to Shino with a soft smile. "Well, nevermind then."

Shino scowled suddenly. "Hinata, you mean that just because Kiba isn't going, you don't want to go to dinner with me?"

He was quite frank, and often stated what was logical, with an absence of tact. That was Shino.

Hinata's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with embaressment.

"N-no, Sh-shino-kun, that's not what I meant...I-I just meant...to go out as a t-team, and...and..."

Hinata shook, tapping her fingertips together and avoiding eye contact.

"W-well...I mean...you don't..t-talk much, so...I..I figured you wouldn't want to g-go...with just m-me.."

Poor Hinata, thought Shino. She really was no good with awkward situations...but she did look awefully cute when she got all flustered like that.

Shino reached out and placed a gentle hand on Hinata's head. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. I was just messing with you. We can go out to eat sometime later." He was offering a smile to her, but it was lost behind his tall collar.

Hinata looked up at him momentarily, then just replied with a nod. Shino found his hand lingering on Hinata's head a moment or too longer than appropriate, and promptly removed it. Hinata's vacant eyes remained on the ground.

"W-well...I'll be going, then...B..bye, Shino-kun."

She gave a quick polite bow to him, then scampered off. Kiba then approached Shino, towel around his shoulders.

"What was that all about?" Kiba asked as he watched Hinata trip over herself before vanishing into the village.

Shino remained silent. This was an acceptable and expected response from him, so Kiba shrugged it off.

"Well, I'm heading back. You have a good night, bro."

"Yeah, you too..."

The two boys exchanged a quick fist-bump before Kiba vanished as well. Shino was then alone, with the last rays of light falling behind the distant mountains. A beetle emerged from Shino's sleeve and crawled to the tip of his finger. Shino held the beetle to his eye level and sighed.

"Kiko-chan, what's gotten into me?" he asked the bug.

The bug chittered and stretched its wings.

"Besides you guys, I mean..."

Shino leaned back against a nearby tree and stared at the luminous moon, lost in his own puzzling thoughts. After a few minutes of pondering, Shino swiftly sat up and held up his bug.

"Kiko, I have a job for you."

=o=

Hinata sat in her bedroom, her face illuminated by a flickering candle. In her hands was her prized possession, a framed photo of her favorite goofball ninja. A tear trickled down her face and splattered against the glass, then she hugged the photo to her chest, sniveling and whimpering to herself.

"Naruto-kun...I wish I was strong...I wish I was brave, just like you...maybe then you would like me..."

She gathered her knees to her chest, balling herself up around the photo. Her silky pajamas were positively soaked with various effluvia from her nightly weeping. After a few minutes of self-pity, she curled up on her futon and attempted to sleep, as she did every night. As she trembled against her pillows, a small black beetle emerged from her sheets and perched inconspiciously next her her face.

Outside her window, Shino sat with an arm wrapped around his knee, his other leg swinging freely from the thick branch underneath him. After watching Hinata's episode, a strong burning feeling arose in his gut. On his index finger, a diffent beetle was chittering.

"Why does she do this to herself, Keiko?"

The beetle squealed and shook its carapace.

"I suppose having feelings for someone can be a very painful thing..."

Shino watched Hinata and noticed that her shivering had calmed down. She was finally asleep. Shino clutched his stomach.

"This is unusual for me. I'm sorry Keiko, you and the hive must feel it too...It must make the chakra taste bitter."

The bug chittered in agreement.

"I can't help it...I feel like I should protect her...watch over her...it's...all I can do."

=o=

And so the ritual began. After training, after Kiba was out of earshot, Shino would follow Hinata to her abode and watch her crumble under her emotions before falling asleep. It was an odd feeling for him. It was certainly painful for him, but somehow it felt good to have that pain there. It was similar to the pain of scratching an itch, and the more he scratched it, the more he wanted it.

Soon watching her at night wasn't enough. He often followed her during the day as well. It was easy enough with his specially trained tracking beetles; she hardly had a clue that a pair of eyes hidden behind dark glasses was almost always on her.

As he studied her, he noticed that although she did have an occasional outing with the other girls, her life was just about as lonely as his was. Most of her day consisted of grocery shopping, being beaten up by her cousin, being yelled at by her overdemanding father, or stalking Naruto. After seeing what else she had to deal with, it was really no wonder that she spent so much time watching Naruto. The longer she spent watching that ridiculous loudmouth, the less time she had to be at home, enduring her family. It made Shino grateful for his own, who were blessedly laid-back and cared for little besides duty and entomology.

One evening, Hinata showed up to training with her face hidden behind a curtain of hair. Kiba caught on instantly, and wiped the offending strands out of the way with a single firm, clawed hand.

"What's with the melancholy look, Hina-chan?"

Hinata immediately pulled away and faced the ground, her protective curtain taking its place.

"N-nothing...K-Kiba-kun...I..I just fell down, and..and it left an ugly..b-bruise."

Kiba responded with a hearty bought of laughter.

"Hinata, you're ridiculous. You come here to get beaten up five times a week, and you're worried about one little bruise?"

Kiba was suddenly knocked aside by a very stern Shino with a particularly grumpy scowl.

"Let her be, Kiba. If she doesn't feel like showing her face, she doesn't have to."

Kiba snorted.

"Fine, I was just joking around. C'mon, Akamaru...let's go practice," and with that, Kiba and his fluffy little companion dissapeared into the training grounds.

One out of sight, Shino turned to Hinata, and lifted her chin up softly with a single finger. She was resistant at first, but finally revealed a very flushed face stained with tears, her right eye swollen with purple and green.

"I..I'm sorry...Shino-kun..." Hinata squeaked, her voice shaking with the urge to weep.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Hinata," Shino replied with a calm, softness to his voice. He reached into a pocket in his coat and extracted a pair of circular shades, then handed them to the brittle Hinata. She looked up at him, confused.

"I always carry a spare. You can have these, while that heals."

Hinata paused for a moment in awe of her team mate's kindness, then tenderly placed the glasses over her eyes. Shino practically had a stroke from the cuteness radiation. She was meant to wear those little sunglasses.

"As a matter of fact, keep them. They look better on you, anyway."

Hinata looked up at Shino and smiled as best she could.

"Th..thank you s-so much, Shino-kun..."

A pair of tears dribbled out from under the shades. It was clear she was in utter shock from the amount of kindness that came with such a gesture, and as such, the emotions overwhelmed her. Shino wiped the tears away with his thumbs, then cupped her face.

"Hey, it's not a problem. I just want you to be alright. I..."

Shino stared into her eyes through their shades, pondering what words to say next.

"...if you want to talk, I will listen."

Hinata sniffed, then suddenly buried herself in Shino's coat, embracing him tightly. Once it sunk in what was happening, Shino held her back tightly.

"You're v-very kind...th-thank you. Thank you s-so much."

It was in that very moment, that Shino Aburame realized he was in love with Hinata Hyuga.

=End of Chapter 1=


	2. Chapter 2

==+Creep+==

=Chapter 2=

Hinata never did talk to Shino after that, but it was clear that they had formed a special bond that day. She always smiled whenever she saw him, and her overall mood seemed to brighten when he was around her. She even looked slightly less utterly miserable around her family. What was especially interesting was that she spent less time clutching the picture of Naruto to her chest, and she had a better time sleeping. Shino was still watching over her, but it was becoming more and more unbearable not to interfere with whatever obstacle happen to make her day worse. But, as time passed, her life did appear to be getting a little more positive.

Then came the day that Naruto left. That day, all the progress that she made completely reversed. Shino observed in agony as Hinata screamed her heart out that night. Her wailing was so loud that Neji was ordered to come in and quiet her down, which he wasn't very good at doing. Hinata could have sought better comfort from a cardboard cutout. All Neji seemed to do was remind her that if he didn't stop her sobbing, her father would have her beaten with a bamboo stick. Oh, how Shino longed to hold her! To wrap his coat around her and cup her face tenderly, clutch her to him and stroke her hair, and tell her that she was safe and loved and that she was not alone...

The evening didn't end very well for Hinata...after about 3 solid hours of anguish, she was forced into silence by a swift strike to the cheek, and much to her dismay, her Naruto photo ended up being thrown and shattered against the wall. After it was all over, Shino sat on his branch with his face in his palms, doing something he had never done before...shed tears.

He couldn't stand it. He wanted to whisk his Hinata away to somewhere safe, where he could take care of her and give her the love that she so desperately needed. He could hardly watch the madness before him, but he forced himself to...for her sake. Trembling, he looked through his fingers to see his beloved one more time, then he froze.

Hinata was lying on her futon, shaking silently. Clutched to her chest was not the photo now in peices at the other end of her bedroom, but the pair of glasses that he, Shino, had given her. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His small gift to her, gave her comfort? A small light in this sea of agony and darkness for her? Shino clapped a hand on his forehead, and actually let out a chuckle. One of his beetles creeped out from between his fingers and chittered. Shino held the bug in his palm and smiled.

"Keiko! Can you believe it? She's holding my glasses...MY glasses! They're helping her sleep!"

Shino held the bug to his chest and stared at the moon above him.

"Maybe...maybe I should see her...maybe I should tap on her window and let her know I'm here for her..."

The little beetle squealed sharply and fluttered in his fingers. Shino let out a sigh.

"You're right...I can't...not now."

He continued to gaze at Hinata, now drawing in the slow breaths of a deep sleep. Shino hopped down off of his brance and approached her window, then traced her finger on the glass with the tip of his index finger.

"Hinata...I'm here for you...always..." he whispered, before vanishing into the night.

A few months later, Shino was called to the Hokage tower for a mission. When he was called into Tsunade's office, he was surprised to only find Hinata across the table from the Hokage.

"Where's Kiba?" Shino immediately asked.

"Apparently Akamaru has heartworms, and Kiba is taking care of him...he can't fight without his dog." Tsunade replied as Shino took a seat next to his team mate.

"Poor thing...it must be terrible to be terrible to have a disgusting infestation like that in your own body..." Hinata muttered to herself.

Shino gave her a look.

Hinata's eyed widened. "I- I mean! L-like...s-ssomething you don't w-want! Th-that h-hurts you! N-not...l-like...your bugs, Sh-"

"I knew what you meant, Hinata." Shino replied sharply, before turning to Tsunade. Hinata dissolved in her own shame.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "It'll just be you and Hinata this time, Shino. Got a pretty simple mission for you, but it's Grade B, so you'll need to be on your toes."

Shino and Hinata snapped to attention.

"Apparently a rogue shinobi has been hiding out in the woods about two days southeast from here, and has been terrorizing and raiding the trading route that runs through it. Not much is known about them, only that they call themselves the "Phantom," and that they're merciless. Should be a fun-filled trip for the two of you."

"We'll do our best, Hokage-sama," Hinata replied meekly.

"Affirmative," stated Shino.

"Shino, you'll be the captain of this mission. Take care of our little Hyuga heiress, or Hiashi will throw a fit."

Hinata shrunk in her seat. Shino simply nodded.

=o=

Not unlike every mission ever, Shino and Hinata didn't speak much during their trek. They usually had Kiba to lead their conversations for them, but now they two introverts were stuck in a socially awkward stroll that would last a bare minimum of ninety-six hours. Shino certainly didn't mind the peace and quiet, but it was rather unnerving to be accompanied by the most beautiful girl in his known universe...alone...with no stupid dog boys to ruin the mood...

"Shino-kun..?" asked timidly.

"Yes, Hinata-san?" Shino answered without looking.

"It's getting dark...we should set up camp."

Shino looked at her. "Hinata, I'm the captain of this mission, and I'll decide when it's good to set up camp or not."

Hinata looked down in shame. Shino winced internally at his infernal Shino-ness.

"On second thought, over there looks safe. There are many trees around and that rock jutting out should give us some good shelter. I'll go ahead and start a fire, you look for a clean water source."

Hinata gave him a quick bow. "Yes, Captain Shino!"

Shino rolled his eyes, then watched Hinata titter off into the woods. Shino was only beginning to roll out the sleeping bags when Hinata returned with two full canisters.

"That was certainly quick..." Shino stated with raised eyebrows.

"I...I kind of have a thing with water," Hinata smiled sheepishly.

Shino replied to her smile with his own (which she didn't see, of course).

=o=

Later that night, Shino awoke to find Hinata's sleeping back empty. Without even thinking, he called on his tracking bug and followed her trail deep into the woods.

Soon he heard the sound of water rushing and trickling, as well as unnatural splashing. As her scent became strong enough to know her exact location, he peeked over a large boulder to find Hinata, stripped down to her undergarments (which essentially was just composed of a few well-placed shinobi bindings), dancing atop the water and splashing it about as if it was a part of her.

Shino was awestruck. Her form glittered and shimmered in the light of the full moon as her arms floated delicately with the liquid swirling around her. She was positively enchanting. Shino crawled atop the boulder to get a better peek, his stomach filling up with a new and overwhelming feeling that made his beetles purr and chitter within him. His eyes never left her coercive movement as his hands and feet meandered around the mossy rock underneath him.

Unfortunately, this was his downfall, as one missed foothold let to him sliding clumsily into the water. Within the blink of an eye, Hinata had ceased her dancing and now held a defensive stance on the water's surface.

"Who's there?!" She demanded.

Shino wasn't sure whether to drown himself out of shame right then and there, or fess up to his moment of perverseness. He decided on the latter and peeped his head out of the water.

"Oh, it's just you, Shino-kun," Hinata relaxed and held her hand to her heart.

Oddly enough, instead of fleeing like a scared sheep like Shino suspected she would, she walked over to him and offered a hand to help him onto the surface. Shino accepted, aggressively staring at his feet the entire time.

"I...apologize. For...spying. You were gone. I wanted to...make sure you were safe."

Hinata gave him a warm smile.

"That's okay, Shino-kun! I understand. I should have told you where I was going...but, I like to practice my water-jutsu by myself. It helps me concentrate."

Shino looked up at her. She seemed like a completely different person...calm, collected, and friendly. Not an ounce of her usual shyness at all.

"You're certainly cheerful this evening, Hinata-san," Shino stated, trying desperately to keep his eyes on hers (despite the fact that he could probably get away with staring elsewhere, behind his shades. Shino was a gentleman, after all).

"Mm..well, the water helps me relax out here..."

"You're not bothered by my presence?"

"No Shino-kun, why would you be bothering me?"

Shino caughed into his palm and gestured toward her rather revealing attire. Hinata looked down. Her cheeks flushed a bit.

"Oh, I guess you do have a p-point," she giggled, "but it's alright, I feel comfortable around you."

Shino lifted a brow.

"You...you do?"

"Sure! In fact, you take off all that soaking clothing and come for a swim with me!"

With that, Hinata reached out and boldy began to peel away his layers. Shino immediately grabbed her hands.

"Hi..Hinata-san..."

He stared her hard in the eyes, which were met with her curious gaze.

"I'll...undress myself, thank you."

Hinata smiled and replied with a nod, then turned around and gave a graceful dive into the waters. Shino hesistated, head swarming with emotions and confusion, and tried to seize what exactly was happening. Deciding to just go with it, he stripped down to his boxers and laid his clothing on a dry rock nearby, then hopped into the water with Hinata.

As he tread water, he looked around and noticed she was nowhere to be seen. Then, right as he least expected it, she burst from the pond and spat a stream of water square in his face. Shino scowled behind his frames at her, then cracked a smile and forced a wave of water towards her with his palm. Hinata ducked, then responded with another spit to the face. The two laughed and splashed about for a few moments until they found a spot they could stand in.

"You know, you have a really nice smile, Shino-kun...I wish you'd show it more often."

Shino only held his smile in response.

"Hey, what are those?" Hinata was suddenly staring in curiosity at the water around him.

Shino noticed that his beetles were leaking out and skimming over the surface of the water. Panic suddenly set in...not for the safety of his beetles (they had survived much worse), but for Hinata's reaction. He remembered her comment about certain bodily infestations and didn't expect her to take this well.

"Oh my god..." Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

Shino winced.

"They're beautiful! What are they doing?!"

He looked around, and noticed that his beetles had stared giving off a soft, blue bioluminescent glow. Thank the stars, the moon was full tonight.

"Oh, my beetles do this when a full moon is out. It's sort of...a ritual for them, I guess."

With that, the beetles lifted off of the water and surrounded the pair in a cloud of beautiful blues and greens. Hinata watched in fascination as they spiraled around her, dancing with the same grace and beauty that she had displayed only minutes earlier.

"Shino...they're amazing...I had no idea your beetles could do this! They're so lovely..."

Shino reached out a hand and stroked Hinata's cheek with the back of his fingers. Hinata's gaze immediately fell on Shino.

"There are many lovely things in this world, Hinata Hyuga, but you are by far the loveliest."

Hinata was speechless. Her cheeks grew hot pink, and despite all her efforts, not a single syllable could escape her lips. Shino really had no idea what he was doing at this point, it seemed his body moved purely on instinct. His fingers lifted her chin, and slowly, he leaned in...

"BYAKUGAN!"

Suddenly, Shino was pushed back into the waters. He inhaled a bit of water by mistake, then struggled to the surface, coughing profusely. When he emerged, Hinata was on the surface again, in full defense mode, with furious misty eyes glaring into the woods. In her hand was some sort of throwing dart which Shino didn't recognize.

"Hi...hinata..." he sputtered between coughs, "what's...what's going.."

"Ssh," she replied.

After a moment of silence, Hinata called out to the woods.

"I know you're there! Show yourself, intruder!"

The voluptuous, seductive laughter of woman echoed in the woods around them from all sides.

"Me...e...e...? The intruder? But I believe it is you two who have wandered into _my _woods...oods...oods..."

Shino took his place at Hinata's back, insects swarming defensively around them. They both looked around desperately for any physical sign of the presence. Laughter erupted.

"So...so...so...an infected pest and an innocent little girl...irl...irl...how quaint...aint...aint... you dare defy the might of the _Phantom_?!"

As quick as a wink, a flurry of ribbons shot out at the pair from the darkness, and latched onto Hinata's ankle and waist , as well as Shino's wrist, yanking them both down into the water. Without hesistation, Shino's insects began feircely chewing away at the ribbons. Shino was free in a matter of seconds, but Hinata found herself being dragged out of the water and into the darkness of the woods. With a few well-placed dashes and jumps, Shino managed to grab a pair of kunai from his pile of soggy clothing and slice them through the offending entanglements. As her helped her to her feet, the laughter erupted.

"Pathetic...ic...ic..."

Between the trees that surrounded them, a series of faces arose out of the gloom. Shino squinted and noticed that the faces were that of Noh Masks, or traditional theatre masks. In the dusky moonlit woods, the masks levitated with an unsettling eeriness.

With a startling swiftness, more ribbons shot out from behind the masks. The pair was able to dodge them successfully this time, though with great difficulty. The ribbon attack was soon followed by a shower of the same dart-like object that Hinata had caught earlier. Shino's insects attempted to deflect the attack, but the objects proved too narrow. Fortunately, Hinata was able to deflect them with the aid of her Byakugan. The masks merely cackled in response.

Despite the fact that their prime target had conveniently come to them, Shino was in no mood for fighting, and this foe had interrupted a very prominantly possible make-out session. This made Shino irrevocably pissed off, and a pissed off Shino was nothing to mess with. His emotions directly affected his chakra, which directly affected his beetles. For instance, if he became melancholy, his beetles would behave with lethargy. If content, the beetles would chitter happily amongst themselves. If filled with boiling, relentless rage...

"Hinata...listen to me closely..." he whispered. She turned to him intently, palms raised.

"We need to draw out the physical body...I'll use my swarm to maneuver her out, then aim her towards your trigram circle. Once caught, I'll let you handle the rest. Got it?"

Hinata nodded in affirmation, then proceeded to set herself against a boulder to cover herself from rear attacks. After eying Shino, she noticed something a bit off.

"Shino-kun...where are your beetles?!" She whispered harshly.

Shino only looked at her with a smirk. Moments later, an ear piercing shriek echoed from the woods, as clouds of beetles erupted from the eye sockets of the floating masks around them. The masks screamed and cracked as the beetles munched them away like a furiously hungry hive of termites. Shino was feeling pretty good about himself, until he heard Hinata frantically call his name.

Cockiness, damn it...he needed to work on that. As fast as light, Shino was on the ground, bound in colorful, silky ribbons. Above him stood a tremendously terrifying figure, clad in an uncannily slender evening dress that was decorated with a series of haunting black and white swirls. The creature stood at least seven foot three, and wore half of a smiling ribboned mask, donned with a menagerie of sequins, feathers, and paints. The other half of the face was nothing more than an abyss with a single, glowing white eye.

"Sss-s-s-seething little fool...ool...ool..." spoke the creature.

The fierce glowing eye narrowed, and a dozen darts floated around him, ready to strike at the creature's will. Shino braced himself for impact, when the darts fell about him with a metallic clatter, followed by an echoing gasp of pain from the phantom. Upon opening his eyes, he watched Hinata bravely gentle-fist the demonic women away; not with much success, but enough to buy the time needed for Shino's beetles to chew through his bindings.

After doing so, the beetles immediately shot for the creature's eye. The creature wailed and scratched at her face with frighteningly long-fingered claws. The sight was enough to turn Shino's stomach, (and there were few things that would do such a thing to Shino Aburame). He made a mental note to give him and his friends a hot bath later just to banish the heebie-jeebies. While distracted by the insects, the beast strode right into Hinata's trigram circle, where she proceeded to be whacked, poked, and prodded by chakra-snapping fingertips. Hinata looked like an angel casting away Shino's nightmares. It was almost cathartic for him.

After the thorough beating the hideous thing received, she laid crumpled in a pool of silks and swirls, clutching the mask which was crumbling beneath the mandibles of Shino's beetles. Shino took the time to get to his feet, then lay a foot on the creatures face.

"Pathetic," he murmured, before squishing the phantom under his toes like a foul cockroach.

Hinata quietly walked to the pile of theatre tidbits, and picked up a stray violet feather.

"We can take this back to the Hokage as proof of the completed mission. Right, Captain?" Hinata smiled warmly at Shino.

Shino returned the sentiment and nodded. "Very well done, Hinata-san."

After taking some time to dry their clothes and mend whatever wounds received during their battle, the two were off back home. Since Hinata hadn't gotten much sleep, Shino offered to let her piggy-back to help her regain her strength. She gladly accepted.

Despite the extra weight, Shino took his time in returning home. It was rare when he could get this close to her, and the warmth of her helped calm his insects after a battle which had done a number on his emotions. Hinata lightly napped most of the way, but there was a moment where she awoke to whisper in Shino's ear.

"Shino-kun?" she asked with a groggy tone in her voice.

"Yes, Hinata-san?"

"Did you really mean it when you said I was lovely?"

Shino paused for a moment.

"Yes."

"Do you think...do you think N-Naruto thinks so too?"

In that moment, a vacuum appeared in Shino's heart, which proceeded to crush on top of itself. He swallowed hard.

"If he does not, then he is an even greater fool than I imagined."

It was a very subtle feeling, but he could tell that Hinata was smiling. He felt her bury her face in his coat.

"Thank you, Shino-kun," she murmured, before falling back to sleep.

=End of Chapter 2=


	3. Chapter 3

=+Creep+=

=Chapter 3=

Half a year passed, and not much really occurred between Shino and Hinata since their mission together. Sure, they had the occasional mission here and there, but never without Kiba. Hinata never made any mention of the events, so Shino never bothered to pester her about them. After confirming that her feelings for Naruto were just as strong as ever, he put it in his best interest to ignore the emotions eating away at him. His visits to the tree branch by her bedside window had become few and none. But, despite everything, he never stopped dreaming about her. Nor did Kiko (or, to be more accurate, Kiko the two-hundred-and-thirty-seventh...the lifespan of beetles wasn't all that long) ever leave Hinata's side.

Shino finally felt somewhat content with the stagnation of their relationship, until Hinata didn't show up to training one day.

"Where's Hinata?" Shino immediately asked the lone Kiba, who was sharpening his claws on an emory board while lying on his persistantly growing hound.

"I dunno man, I haven't seen her around for like two days. Maybe she's sick or something?"

Without another word, Shino turned around began to march off towards the Hyuga residence. Kiba lifted a brow and got to his feet.

"Hey, man! Where you goin'? Aren't we gonna train today?!"

Shino said nothing, and vanished into the village. Kiba snorted.

"Well, looks like today...the lone wolf trains...alone..."

Akamaru tilted his head at Kiba and whimpered.

Shino found himself at the front door of the Hyuga estate, as getting to his branch was much more difficult in daylight. He honestly felt a bit hesitant to straight-up knock on the door of the mighty Hyugas, but damn it, Hinata was his team mate! He had the right to check on her if he wanted to, right?

Shino reached his hand out to yank on the rope of the summoning bell, hesitated a moment, then took a breath and pulled. After an excruciating three minutes, a servant in the form of an old shriveled woman appeared in the crack of the door.

"Yes, may I help you?" the little bag creaked.

"I'm Shino Aburame, member of Team 8. Hinata was scheduled to train with us this afternoon, went MIA. I'm here to check up on her."

Suddenly, the door opened with a great wooden lurching sound, and Neji Hyuga appeared before Shino with his usual stern scowl.

"Hello Aburame-san, Lady Hinata's not feeling well today, so she's been ordered to stay in bed. She won't be joining you for training until she's recovered."

Shino stared at him blankly from behind his new pair of goggles.

"May I see her?"

Neji's brows raised in curiosity.

"Why?"

"I...I just want to personally ensure she's alright. The team is worried about her."

Neji gave him a skeptical look, then opened the door a bit more invitingly.

"I suppose that's alright, but please make your visit quick. We don't want to disturb her rest."

Shino nodded in complience, then ducked his head under his cowl and stepped inside the gates.

"Nanoko-san, please escort Aburame-san to Lady Hinata's quarters," Neji barked at the old servant woman.

She nodded and bowed slowly. "Yes, Master Neji," she turned to Shino. "This way, sir."

Shino then followed the little ancient creature, who moved at half the speed of smell around the corridors of the massive estate. Shino kept his head down and made special effort not to make himself stand out. Though with his perpetual buzzing sound and his unusual cyberpunk garb, he wasn't exactly ordinary.

After what seemed like the passing of the cretaceous period, Shino and the servant arrived at Hinata's room. As the woman knelt and began to open the sliding door, Shino felt his heart leap into his throat. In slow motion, the room that he had watched so many times became reality. For a mansion room, it was actually very quaint, and excruciatingly neat. All the furniture and decor appeared as if it was vigorously scrubbed and cleaned on a daily basis. None of the dolls or figurines looked like they had seen any use at all.

"Lady Hinata, a Shino Aburame is here to see you." the crone squawked.

A soft groan was heard from the corner of the room. Hinata was thoroughly wrapped in an absurdly fluffy lavender comforter, and the face that peeked out from the sheets was flushed and stained with sweat.

The servant looked at Shino momentarily, before turning to Hinata.

"Is there anything I can get you, my lady? Perhaps some miso with lemon?"

Hinata whimpered, and gave a tiny nod. The woman bowed and then scowled at Shino.

"Keep your distance, stranger, and be quick. Lady Hinata has the flu."

At this information, Shino tugged up his thick collar. Fortunately for him, his insects gave him a natural resistance to most airborne illnesses, but he certainly wasn't invulnerable.

"I'll be back shortly. You'd best be gone by the time I return." With that, the old woman got to her feet and promptly disappeared behind a corner. She was conveniently quick about it as well.

Shino then approached the poor sickly Hinata and knelt by her side. It truly pained him to see her so miserable.

Hinata looked up feebly. "Sh...shino-k...kun...?"

Shino laid a hand on her moist forehead and stroked her bangs out of her face.

"Ssh...there's no need to speak. I was..I mean, Kiba and I were quite worried about you."

Hinata closed her eyes and gave a soft smile.

"Mm...c..cold...h..hand."

Shino cracked an unseen smirk, and dragged his fingertips down the side of her temple to cup his hand around her flushed cheek. Hinata snuggled her face into it.

"Feels...good."

Poor thing...she was really wretched. If she wasn't as infested with contagious bacteria as Shino was with ninjustu beetles, he would have gathered her up in his arms and stroked her face til her heart was content. Without thinking, his other hand mirrored his first, and held the other hot cheek, which gave her just the most adorable little squished expression. Her flesh was so sick and tender from the illness, her face felt like a ball of warm dough. Still, the feeble smile never left her face.

Shino could barely handle it. All the emotions that had taken months to lock away began to pour out in big, thick, creamy waves. He wanted her terribly, no matter how drippy and swollen she was. Without thinking, his fingers trailed down to her neck, where they quickly stopped. Something was wrong, here.

Shino gently tilted her head back to reveal more of her neck. Shino's eyes widened in shock as he noticed some severe bruising around her neck, as if she had been gripped or strangled. As light as a feather, his fingertips examined the red and violets that painted her neck.

"Hinata...what happened to you...?"

"I think it's time for you to leave."

Shino immediately retracted his hands and looked around sharply to find the servant woman with the most venomous scowl he'd ever seen on a bitter old hag. Shino briskly got to his feet, pulled his cowl over his head, and strode past the woman with little more than a quick "excuse me."

As he attempted to make his escape as quickly as possible, the woman shouted after him.

"You better not say anything, or you will make quick enemies of the Hyuga clan!"

Shino took note of this, and left the estate without another word.

=o=

Hinata didn't show up to training for the next three days. He did not disappoint Kiba with training, but his battle tactics were clearly lacking. After Akamaru knocked him clean off his feet and into a nearby tree, Kiba approached him with his hands on his hips.

"Dude, what's up with you today? You got ants in your pants or somethin'?"

Shino just stared at the ground. Kiba rolled his eyes and offered a hand to help him up, which Shino reluctantly accepted.

"Seriously, what's the problem? You've been fighting like shit the past few days. Kurenai will be pissed."

Shino pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't really feel like spilling his guts out to Kiba, the blabbermouth, friends with Ino, the even bigger blabbermouth. Yet, there was no other excuse for his failings, and Shino didn't have the brainpower to come up with a good lie.

"It's...Hinata." he said with a sigh.

"Yeah? What about her? She's just down with the flu, right? So what's the big deal? Her family's rich...they'll take good care of her."

"I...really don't know about that."

Kiba tilted his head.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Shino folded his arms and stared off in the distance.

"I went to the Hyuga estate...to check on her."

"Yeah? And?"

"When I saw her...she was very sick, to be expected, but..."

"Buuuut...?"

"Something was wrong...she...her neck...was covered in bruises."

Kiba's eyes widened. Akamaru accompanied him with a concerned whimper.

"Dude, what? What the fuck? Are you serious?"

"Yes...they were very severe...it looked like someone had forcibly held her neck."

"Holy shit, dude! We gotta like, tell somebody about this! Tell the Hokage or something! We can't let our team mate be abused like that!"

Shino lowered his head.

"I...I can't."

"What the hell do you mean, 'you can't'? Of course you can! You walk to the Hokage tower, you barge into Tsunade's office, and you tell her that the Hyuga family are fucking abusive maniacs! I always suspected they were up to something...remember that black eye she had? And this one time, when we were sparring, she..."

Shino grabbed his shoulders and gave him a hard stare.

"We _can't_, Kiba. If word gets out that the Hyuga Heiress is being abused within her own house, things are only going to get worse. For us, for the village, and especially for Hinata."

Kiba returned the hard glare.

"So what do you suggest we do?"

Shino released his grip of Kiba, and his arms fell to his sides.

"I'll..we just have to get Hinata out of that house as long as possible. The longer she stays away from home, the less she'll have to suffer. Since she's sick, I doubt they'll do anything to her, but...as soon as she's better, we'll take her out. We'll go to dinner with her, just like she always wants. We'll hang out as a team...as...friends."

Shino looked at the ground with exasperation. Kiba gave him an empathetic look.

"Okay, that sounds like...a good plan. I swear though, if I see her with one more injury that's not from practice or missions...those Hyugas will have another thing comin'. A sharp thing. With teeth. And claws. And...and..."

"That's enough, Kiba."

Kiba rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"Well, it's getting late. I gotta head back home. Can you check on Hinata tonight?"

Shino nodded, then Kiba gave him their usual fistbump before bounding off into the night.

=o=

Half an hour later, Shino was back on his branch. At this point, the bark had several indentations from his weight. It was a good thing it was hidden under some nice thick brush, or these asshole Hyugas might suspect something.

Hinata was lying on her futon in the darkness, but she wasn't asleep. She did look quite a bit better than before, but goodness did she look exhausted. Clearly, her thoughts were keeping her awake.

Shino decided that now was a good time make his presence known. He summoned Kiko (the two-hundred-and-thirty-ninth) and sent her fluttering into the cracks of Hinata's window as usual. But then, he stopped. Something odd was happening. Shino looked closely, and noticed that Hinata had tucked her comforter up to her neck. An expression appeared on her face that he hadn't seen before...she looked...embarrassed..but...in a different way. Her eyes closed, but she wasn't asleep. Suddenly, something started moving in a particular spot underneath her sheets. Shino watched in fascination as Hinata's lips parted. She looked like she was...maybe gasping for air?

He let Kiko crawl in further so he could use her as a listening device. Hinata wasn't having trouble breathing...she was...moaning...

When Shino realized what was happening, his cheeks grew hot. For the first time in a year of watching Hinata through this window, he felt like what he was doing was wrong. He had honestly perched on this branch for so long merely for her protection, but it never occurred to him that he might be invading her privacy. He felt filthy for witnessing this intensely intimate moment for Hinata. He was a _gentleman_, after all and yet...he couldn't bring himself to look away. He watched, as Hinata attended to herself beneath her cocoon. After several minutes, she peaked, and Shino closed his eyes to focus on the beautiful music of her sounds. After it was over, Shino realized he was breathing heavily, and his heart was pounding hard in his chest. What just happened?

And then...Oh God, what a creep he was! How dare he spy on this innocent young woman in her most private of moments? How could he have sunken to such a low?

But then, he noticed it. Hinata was holding something in her free hand, next to her cheek. After narrowing his eyes to get a good look, he found the object to be...

...his sunglasses?

=End of Chapter 3=


	4. Chapter 4

==+Creep+==

=Chapter 4=

Since he felt it necessary to keep his emotions in check more than anything, Shino didn't dwell on the events of that evening, nor what it meant for him or Hinata. Instead, he made it his primary goal to go through with the plan he and Kiba had laid out to 'rescue' Hinata from her own home. So far, it had gone quite well. The team not only took their time with missions, but would often take some recreational time together just like Hinata had wanted. After a few months, Hinata was showing clear signs of improvement, which the boys were very happy to see. Yet, every time they dropped her off at the Hyuga estate, they could sense a twinge of fear within her, and they didn't need a canine's nose or insects' antennae to tell.

One evening, Shino was tasked with escorting Hinata home himself, as Kiba had family matters to attend to. Shino made certain to stroll at just a little slower pace than usual, so he could savor her presence a bit longer. When they finally turned the corner onto her street, Hinata halted in her tracks for a moment. Shino turned to her, expression hidden under a variety of lenses, cloaks, and cowls.

"Shino-kun..." she whispered faintly, staring apprehensively at the estate in the distance.

"Mmm," he replied.

She moved closer to him, and wrapped one of her dainty little paws around his arm.

"I don't want to go home tonight. Can you take me somewhere else?"

Shino wasn't sure what to think of this, but he remained his usual calm.

"Won't you get in trouble if you're not back home before late?"

"I don't care...I just don't want to be here."

Shino paused, then took the arm she was gripping and wrapped it around her shoulders for comfort.

"Where would you like to go?"

Hinata did not react to Shino's touch.

"Anywhere but here."

Shino gave this some good thought, then pulled Hinata around to face him.

"Alright, I'll take you to someplace very special. But, you have to agree to one thing first."

Hinata looked up at him with melancholy, yet curious eyes.

"Do you give me your full, undeniable trust?"

Hinata blinked, then slowly nodded. Shino then proceeded to reach his hands behind her neck, and untied the headband she normally wore around it. Afterwards, he wrapped the headband firmly around her eyes as a blindfold.

"What are you doing, Shino-kun?"

She couldn't see it, but he was smiling. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Taking you away from here."

=o=

Hinata didn't have to walk anywhere with no vision (Shino had offered to let her piggy-back), but she certainly didn't like the feeling of blindness. Hyugas were used to seeing a much broader spectrum of sight, so not having any at all was almost suffocating. Nevertheless, she trusted Shino with her life, and he made her promise not to peek or use any Hyuga tricks.

They must have walked for at least thirty minutes, and as the sun set, it became increasingly chillier. Not to mention there was a moisture in the air, perhaps a light mist or fog that tickled her skin. She clutched herself to Shino's back, attempting to stay warm. She was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to have trusted the insect user...he was a quiet sort and it was always difficult to tell exactly what he was up to. Nevertheless, anything was better than being at home this evening.

"Is it much longer, Shino-kun?"

"We're here, actually."

Hinata felt herself being placed gently on a mossy surface. The air was surprisingly warm now, and there was a number of strange sounds that surrounded her. Hinata felt Shino's hands near her face to remove the blindfold. When it was gone, she had to blink a bit for her eyes to adjust. Once they did, she inhaled sharply.

Shino and Hinata were beneath the curtains of a massive weeping willow, which resided on a small island in the middle of a moonlit marsh. Dancing atop the marsh reeds behind the rustling leaves of the willow were the hundreds of flickering lights of fireflies. Along the strands of the willow itself, Shino's beetles were showing off their full moon display of glowing greens and blues. Shino stood in the middle of the mossy isle he had placed her on, his coat and cowl removed so Hinata could see his welcoming smile.

"How do you like it?"

Hinata was simply overwhelmed with joy. The twinkling lights of the stars, the insects, and the moon reflecting on the evening waters filled her heart with the most splendid happiness.

"It's wonderful, Shino!"

Hinata couldn't control herself. She lept off her seat and twirled around under the willow reeds, arms outstretched. She felt like a child in the most magical scenes of their imagination. She laughed and watched all that was around her, and spun until she was dizzy. She lost her footing and fell, but Shino quickly caught her and set her on the ground. A few of his bioluminescent beetles fluttered off the branches of the willow and floated around her in concern. Hinata let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

"What is that beautiful sound?"

"Crickets."

Hinata lifted a finger to one of the glowing beetles, which instinctively landed on the tip.

"When did insects become so beautiful?"

"Insects have always been beautiful."

Hinata realized that she was laying in Shino's lap, but he didn't seem to mind. Nor, she suddenly thought, did she.

"Thank you Shino...for bringing me here."

"You're very welcome," he replied softly.

=o=

The next morning, Neji himself opened the door to the Hyuga estate to find Shino Aburame with a sleeping Hinata in his arms.

"Where the hell has she been?! The family was worried sick!" Neji exclaimed while taking the snoozing Hinata into his own arms.

"Training, apparently. I found her like that this morning on the training grounds. She looked exhausted. I suppose she just wants to be a good heiress for the Hyuga family." Shino stated from beneath his cowl and collar, with his hands now deep the pockets of his coat.

Neji glared at Shino. "Indeed. Well...thank you for returning her to us. We'll ensure she's rested. You may leave, now."

And with that, Hinata disappeared behind the great, groaning door.

Shino looked at his feet, and pondered whether or not to make his way to his branch to ensure that Hinata was really properly taken care of. He decided not to risk it, and go home and get some shut-eye himself. After all, he hadn't slept a wink the entire night.

Yet, when Shino entered his new apartment, took off his coat, and flopped down on his futon...his mind was saturated with thoughts of the evening. Shino crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the menagerie of insects in various containers laid across the shelves in his bedroom. At seventeen, Shino felt it was necessary to get a place of his own. Not because he didn't love his family, but he enjoyed the solitude and he didn't want to worry them on his late-night escapades.

An emporer butterfly slowly flapped its wings on a slice of mango. A fat, buzzing cicada purred in its little plastic abode. A walking stick perched quietly among twigs and leaves. Insects truly were beautiful, Shino thought, and until now he thought that they were the only things that really were. They were his only friends and companions, the only things worth putting trust and interest into. Yet now, he had found someone of his own species that not only understood his feelings toward his six-legged friends, but was capable of receiving his adoration and love.

Sure, he had realized his affections long before the night under the willow tree, but being who he was, he had never suspected that those affections could be returned.

_Hinata looked up at him, her shoulder-length hair draped across his lap. Shino returned the gaze, admiring the fact that her face looked just as cute upside-down as it did right-side up._

_"Shino-kun?" she asked sweetly._

_"Yes, Hinata-san?"_

_"Why have you been so kind to me?"_

_"Because you deserve it."_

_"No I don't..."_

_"Hinata..."_

_Shino lifted her off his lap and turned her to face him, hands clasped on her shoulders._

_"You have the biggest heart I have ever known. Neither Kiba nor I believe you deserve anything but kindness."_

_"But I'm so weak...my family says so. All I ever do is hold you guys back."_

_Shino held her face his his hands._

_"Hinata, you are all but weak. You are stronger than you know. Without your help, we couldn't have defeated that monster in the woods. We couldn't do half the things we accomplish without you."_

_"You mean the phantom?"_

_"Yes, that. If you want to know the truth, Hinata...that horrible thing scared me half to death."_

_"You? Scared?" she giggled._

_"Yes, even I can be scared. But you chased her away. You defeated her, and thinking of you chased those fears away."_

_Hinata smiled shyly as him, her cheeks a light pink._

_"You are my light, Hinata. I am your moth. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth."_

_Shino suddenly realized how close his face has gotten to hers, and backed away. Hinata's gaze never left him, but she had a peculiar frown on her face._

_"Why are you looking at me like that?"_

_"You know, I have never seen your eyes...they're always behind those stupid goggles. I can never tell what you're thinking."_

_Shino's brow furrowed. "You don't want to see my eyes."_

_"Yes I do!" Hinata began to reach for him. Shino turned his head away._

_"No, you really don't...Aburame eyes...really freak people out."_

_Hinata pouted._

_"And Hyuga eyes don't? C'mon, let me see!"_

_Shino crossed his arms and hunched over, looking away from her. Hinata grumbled, then her eyes widened, and she pointed over Shino's shoulder with fright._

_"What's that?!"_

_"Huh?" Shino turned to look, then suddenly felt his goggles yanked off his head._

_"GAH!" Shino frantically clasped his hands over his eyes._

_"You brat...give them back..."_

_Hinata exploded into fits of giggles._

_"Not til you let me see your eyes."_

_Shino sighed, his face towards the ground._

_"Fine..."_

_He looked up slowly towards Hinata, then reluctantly, he removed his hands from his face. Hinata brought a hand to her mouth to hold her gasp._

_"Oh my word..."_

_Shino winced._

_"They're...they're just like mine...but...opposite!"_

_It was just as Hinata described. Like the Hyuga eyes, Shino's were pupil-less, and had a soft, lavender hue around the edges. In contrast to Hinata's however, his eyes were a solid, glossy black instead of the Hyuga's pale, off-white color. In addition, his eyes were sharp and slender, as opposed to Hinata's wide, feminine eyes._

_"Can I have them back, now?" Shino grumbled._

_His scowl melted off his face as Hinata placed her porcelain hands on either side of his cheek._

_"Why do you hide your eyes? They're so pretty..."_

_Shino was silent, and simply stared back at her. He felt naked and exposed without his goggles, but he couldn't be angry at her when her eyes were fixated on his like that._

_"We're...sensitive to the light..." he explained, his voice a bit shaken. Hinata was moving closer to him. _

_"Are you sensitive to me?" she whispered delicately, leaning in further._

_"...very, very sensitive to you."_

_"I'm sorry..." she whispered with even more delicacy, and then her lips were gently placed on his._

_It was so tender it could be mistaken for the brush of a butterfly's wing. When Shino understood what she had done, all that could fill his mind was his desire for more. When Hinata pulled back to see his reaction, the violet abyss met the lavender clouds of heaven. Words were not needed between them anymore. They were the silent types. All they needed was feeling. All they needed was each other. Their lips met once more, fingers weaving throughout each others hair. It wasn't long before the two were down in the tangles of moss, limbs threaded through each other. _

_Despite this moment being all that he wanted, it was hard to take for Shino. His body was alive with ache. His heart yearned for Hinata, yet the closer he got, the more painful the hive became. His beetles were buzzing intensely in reaction to the passion. He wanted to let them loose, but he feared what they would do, or worse, what Hinata would do. Reluctantly, Shino gently shoved Hinata away._

_Her expression was almost as painful as his insects, but the moment some distance was spread between them, his insects immediately began to calm down. Hinata said nothing, but only looking at him said what she was thinking._

_"I...I can't. We have to stop," he panted while clutching at his chest._

_Hinata sat up and looked over him with concern. Shino closed his eyes._

_"We shouldn't have...I'm sorry. I'll take you home."_

_Hinata's eyes widened, tear droplets forming in the corners of them._

_"No, please...I'll stop, but please...don't t-take me h-home. P-please let me stay with y-you." Her voice was trembling. A tear welled up enough to fall in a neat stream down her cheek. Shino sat up and brushed it away with his thumb. This only led to more of them falling._

_"I'm sorry, Hinata."_

_She sniffed and wiped away her tears with her index fingers._

_"Please let me stay with you."_

_=o=_

Shino let out a sigh and rolled over on his futon. He had of course, let her stay with him. How could he have not? It certainly wasn't easy for him, however. Even though their affections had ceased, the beetles still stirred within him through out the entire evening. After letting Hinata fall asleep in his arms under the willow tree, he eventually had to slip out of her embrace to catch his breath.

Once he was certain that Hinata was fast asleep, he released his entire hive of beetles into the air. Clouds upon clouds upon clouds of beetles swarmed out of his flesh. There was so many it was actually starting to itch him. He was shocked at the amount of beetles that were being stored in his body. The little bastards had been breeding! No wonder he was in so much pain. There were more beetles than actual Shino. Watching the swarms pour out of him made him sick to his stomach. He fell to his knees and let the last of his swarm leave his body. After feeling the silence in his bones, he bent over and vomited into the marsh.

It was extremely rare when an Aburame purged their body of their hive. Doing so was dangerous in the sense that the beetles may not be able to find their way back, and left the host with a sense of blindness. Weakened and sick, he struggled to pull his cowl over his face, then collapsed by the bank of the marsh.

Fortunately, Shino had awoken to find Hinata still asleep, but his goggles were neatly folded next to his head, and her jacket was bundled up under his head as a makeshift pillow. What an unfathomable little sweetheart, he thought.

That night could have gone so much better, had his beetles not been provoked into such an unexpected reaction. Shino certainly hadn't experienced any sort of wild emotions like he had with Hinata, so perhaps he should have expected his beetles to behave in a manner that he didn't recognize. Still, this threw a major wrench in the cogs of their blossoming relationship. Oh well...he'd think on that later. He really was in need of sleep.

And with that, Shino drifted off, dreaming of lavender eyes.

=End of Chapter 4=

(Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and follows, guys. Your feedback is appreciated!)


	5. Chapter 5

=+Creep+=

=Chapter 5=

Shino had been concerned about how Hinata's family would react to her being home so late. It pained him to think that the next time he saw her, she might be injured or beaten again. Nevertheless, she had to come home eventually, and at least she had a relatively pleasant night away from her family.

What was an even worse thought was what would happen to him if he became close to her again. His hive had fortunately returned to him despite being completely purged, but Shino had to leave behind almost two thirds of the beetles. It was normal for beetles to procreate within him. In fact it was necessary during prolonged battles - an Aburame could be quite the opponent with a seemingly infinite supply of ninjustu beetles. But, the amount of beetles that had spread throughout him when spending an intimate moment with Hinata was too much. It was the worst feeling he had ever endured; he felt like he would burst from the inside out. He would either have to find some way to control his feelings during such a time so that the beetles wouldn't react as much, or...he'd have to let them out. It was probably already pretty fucking disturbing for Hinata to lock lips with a walking bug nest, let alone be swarmed in horny little insects. Shino cringed at the thought.

After much consideration, he decided that he would simply have to put his relationship on hold with Hinata, at least until he did some more research. He had waited quite some time to get this far already, he could wait a little more.

But then he saw her chatting with Kiba on the training grounds. He could practically hear the twinkling sound as she turned to face him in slow motion, surrounded by a soft glow and flowery backdrop. Her heavenly eyes were bright with highlights as she bounced over to him. She couldn't have been more giddy if she was looking at...her boyfriend?

"Shino-kun!" she chirped.

"Oi, Shino!" Kiba said with a wave.

Shiba gave Kiba a polite nod, then turned back to Hinata, who was holding a little cloth bundle out toward him.

"What do we have here?" Shino asked her as he took her offering.

"Our little Hinata made us some bento boxes. Isn't that sweet?" Kiba responded, while holding up his own bundle.

Shino blinked behind his goggles, then unwrapped the cloth. Underneath it was a shiny black box embroidered with shimmering butterflies. He lifted the lid, and his lips parted in a gasp.

A small puff of steam escaped, then left behind the carefully crafted scene of the willow tree in the marsh surrounded by little yellow fireflies made out of various tasty ingredients. Shino was flabbergasted. The woman was a fucking surgeon with dried seaweed and sliced cucumber, and the whole picture smelt incredible.

"Wow, Hinata...this is amazing,"

Hinata replied with a soft blush and the kind of smile a wife would give her husband who was leaving for work.

"You're truly talented with bento. If you weren't an equally talented shinobi, I'd say Konoha is missing an excellent restaurant," he stated while replacing the lid and wrapping the box back in its cloth.

"Thank you, Shino-kun..." Hinata replied while looking off to the side.

"You should see mine! She made a perfect Akamaru out of daikon and egg white!" Kiba exclaimed. Akamaru barked happily beside him.

Damn it, Shino thought. What an idiot he was, falling in love with her all over again. He wanted to take her in his arms and cover her face in kisses, but the subtle buzzing in his gut served as a painful reminder of what would happen if he did. It appeared that they had become more sensitive to Hinata's presence. Now just being near her stirred them up.

Shino rested a hand on Hinata, his fingers becoming numb from the buzzing in them.

"Listen...Hinata, may I speak with you in private for a moment?"

The smile dropped from her face, but she nodded.

"We'll be back in a few moments," Shino shouted to Kiba, who replied with a wave. He was already halfway through his bento. The man had no self-restraint whatsoever.

Shino led Hinata to a more secluded part of the wood, then turned to her and looked her over. It suddenly occurred to him that she had no injuries or bruises at all. She was as chipper as ever.

"How..how are you? Did your family get angry about you staying out late?"

Hinata let out a quick sigh of relief, thinking that this was all Shino wanted to discuss.

"Oh! We're fine, actually...better than fine. In fact, my lord father was so worried about me being gone without his knowledge, I think he realized how much he cares for me. I was so scared when he came into my room, but the first thing he did was give me a hug! Even Neji was smiling, and he practically never smiles!"

Shino felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. Hinata was finally safe within her own home.

"I felt so good this morning, I decided to make the bento boxes for you and Kiba to thank you for everything. I knew you two were looking out for me, and I am very grateful for it...but, I think things will be okay for me now."

He just wanted to hug her, but the buzzing was getting more intense. He settled for a gentle head pat.

"I'm extremely happy to hear that, Hinata-san."

She smiled shyly at him. A moment of silence went by between them.

"Hinata...about the other night..."

The smile immediately dissolved into concern.

"Did...did I do something wrong? I...I'm really s-sorry...I know you t-told me to s-stop..."

He was afraid of this. She had of course put all the fault on herself. How badly he wanted to touch her...kiss her...tell her it was alright.

"Hinata..." he lightly touched her chin to lift her gaze to his. His fingertip stung at the contact.

"You didn't do anything wrong. What we did... I wanted to, more than anything in the world...I still do, but...I can't."

He could see the tears begin to well in the corners of her eyes again. He couldn't decide whether that or his bugs were more agonizing. Both his heart and body were being wrenched apart.

"It's...it's my own problem," he winced, "it's something I have to figure out on my own...but please, don't think it's because I don't care about you."

"C-can...c-can we s-still be f-friends?" Hinata asked meekly, voice cracking.

Shino sighed heavily. "Of course, we are team mates. I will always be here for you...I just...can't...be close to you...right now..."

Shino held an arm to his gut. Being around her was too much. The beetles were beginning to itch and sting.

"Sh-shino-kun? Are you alright?" she placed a delicate hand on his back as he doubled over in pain. He swatted her hand away briskly.

" ..just leave me be...it's not your fault...I promise, just...go..."

Hinata backed away, but kept her eyes on him. It was clear how torn she was.

"Hinata, GO!" Shino screamed, the buzzing swirling around in his stomach. He felt like he was going to throw up again.

Hinata turned and fled, leaving a trail of tears behind her. The moment she left, Shino released a huge cloud of insects. They burst from his flesh at such a rapid pace, it actually cause him to bleed. He yelped in pain as they fled into the atmosphere.

Damn it...how was he going to deal with this?

=o=

A few days later, Kiba lay strewn across his couch with Akamaru, snoozing his afternoon away when he heard a knock at the door. After debating whether or not to put pants on and ultimately deciding not to, he meandered his way to the door and immediately regretted his decision. Hinata stood on his front doorstep, beet red from seeing Kiba in nothing but boxers. She quickly turned away, clutching a cloth bundle to her chest.

"Uh, sorry about that, Hina-chan. Hang on..."

After taking a few minutes to put on something more suitable, he reopened the door.

"Come on in."

Hinata bowed politely and entered his abode after slipping off her sandals. Kiba gestured toward a chair sunken in from months of weight and covered in dog hair. Hinata sat neatly on the arm rest, aware that she would most likely have lots of white dog hair to remove from her navy blue pants.

"Can I getcha anything? A soda? Beer?"

"N-no thank you..."

With that, Kiba decided to plop back on his couch.

"So what can this ragged rascal do for the Lady?"

Hinata stared at the bundle in her lap. As much as she cared deeply for her team mate, his boldness always made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Um...well...I made lunch for you and Sh-shino-kun...b-but...I was hoping you could take Sh-Shino-kun's lunch to him f-for me."

Kiba tilted his head.

"Uh, sure...but why can't you take it to him? Don't you know where he lives?"

"Um...y-yes...b-but..."

"But what?"

"I-I...I'm..."

Hinata gripped at the cloth in her lap nervously.

"I..I'm not -s-s-sure he...w-wants to see m-me."

Kiba could smell the despair. He liked to tease her, but when it came to personal matters, he always did his best to comfort. Without another word, he got off his couch and placed a warm hand on her head.

"Hey...it's okay. I'll take it to him. I don't know what's going on between you two, but Shino will give me a beating if he finds out I pestered it out of you. Just...I hope you can fix whatever's wrong."

Hinata sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye.

"And if you can't, I can always kick his ass for you."

She looked at him and gave him a faint smile. Kiba ruffled her hair.

"There's that smile I like."

=o=

Shino lay face-first in his pillows. He had spent the past three days without leaving his apartment. His original intention was do do some ninjutsu beetle research or maybe some meditation exercises, but the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. Eventually he ended up doing exactly what he had been doing: wallowing in self-pity. At least he had seemed to detox from Hinata's presence...the bugs had gone back to their usual behavior and no longer caused Shino any pain, save for the raw holes around his body where the insects had burst so violently. After viewing the damage, Shino had wrapped himself in more layers than usual, and prayed that he'd recover before Hinata witnessed him in all his horror.

Then came the knocking at his door. It was too harsh to be Hinata's, thank the heavens, but Shino was in no mood for company. Shino pulled his cowl over his head and pretended not to be home.

The knocking continued.

"Shino? You in there, pal?"

Kiba... that filthy bastard. Shino acknowledged that someone from his team would eventually check up on him; he just wasn't mentally prepared for it. He pulled a pillow over his head to drown out the sound.

"Shino, I know you're in there. Just come and open the door, I have a present from Hinata."

Damn it.

Kiba blinked as the door slowly creaked open just a smidgen. A goggled eye appeared in the crack.

"What is it, Kiba?"

"Uh...can I come in?"

"No."

Kiba rolled his eyes, then latched onto Shino's face with a clawed hand and shoved him into his own home. All Shino could muster was a muffled "Mmrpph."

Kiba lightly kicked the door shut behind him, then looked Shino up and down.

"You look like a bag of shit. What's up with you, lately?"

Shino rubbed his temples while holding a particularly grouchy scowl, and turned to recede into the depths of his one bedroom flat. Kiba dropped his arms to his side in defeat.

"Come on, man. Hinata's worried fuckin' sick about you. She told me I had to deliver this lunch box for you because she's too scared she'll upset you or something. What's going on?"

"Nothing of your concern." Shino grumbled from another room.

Kiba followed the disembodied voice to find Shino obsessively plucking at a praying mantis in a little green crate.

"What do you mean it's none of my concern? We're team mates, Shino. More then that, we're family. You and Hinata are like my freaky introvert brother and sister. If something's going on, you gotta tell me."

Once again, Shino was faced with the choice of spilling his guts to Kiba. Honestly, he was too damn tired to argue at this point. He let his shoulders drop and his head hang.

"I'm in love with Hinata."

"Well no shit, genius. What else is new?" Kiba exclaimed while setting the lunchbox on a nearby coffee table.

Shino gave him a look. He debated asking him how he knew, but screw it. It was Kiba.

"The problem is, my insects like her too. They like her...too much."

Kiba looked uneasy. "Do I even want to know?"

"Not really..."

"Well, throw it at me anyway."

Shino stared at the mantis. "For some reason, my desire to be close to Hinata throws the beetles into a mating frenzy. They start multiplying more rapidly than my body can sustain, and it becomes painful for me."

Kiba tried his very best to not look utterly disgusted, but it still showed. Fortunately, Shino was avoiding eye contact.

"Wow, man. That's pretty fucked up. What are you gonna do about it?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. For now, all I can do is keep my distance from her, and hope that the beetles calm down after a while."

Kiba gave him a sympathetic look and shrugged. "Well, hopefully you can figure out how to control those little bastards soon,"

Shino looked up at him.

"...Why do you say that?"

Kiba stretched his arms out, then held them behind his head.

"'Cause Naruto's comin' back tomorrow."

=End of Chapter 5=


	6. Chapter 6

=+Creep+=

=Chapter 6=

Hinata Hyuga stared wistfully at Naruto Uzumaki for the first time, as he arrived with the strange elder man who swore to take him under his wing for the past three years. He was so much different now, as was she. Yet, the scene seemed so familiar. Only this time, Hinata was acutely aware of the presence watching her from afar. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was there.

And knowing that broke her heart.

But there was never a heart more shattered then that of Shino's. For the next few days, he watched in despair as his beloved Hyuga resumed her tradition of watching Naruto from afar. It didn't take long for Naruto to catch up with all his old pals...they were all eager about seeing him and how much he progressed in his training. When he finally got to the members of Team 8, Shino approached him silently.

"Naruto, it's been a while," he stated calmly after Naruto was done flapping his lip about how big Akamaru had gotten. Naruto turned to him and gave him a puzzled look.

"Huh...who are you?" he asked.

"Naruto. You really mean you forgot your friend?"

Kiba laughed boisterously. "That's Shino!"

"Huh? Shino?! That's not fair, I barely recognized you under all that cloth!"

Shino scowled. Not only had he stolen the attention of his beloved, but he had the audacity to forget who he was. Before Shino had a chance to respond, a shy whimper was heard from behind a nearby telephone pole.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, as he approached the noise. Shino's fists clenched furiously in his pockets. A couple of beetles sprung out of the back of his neck in reaction.

There she was, seventeen and more beautiful than ever. Lady Hinata, with shimmery dark blue hair down to her waist, and a figure fit for a goddess. As Naruto approached her, her cheeks went aflame. Shino glared in envious rage as his interaction with her made her almost pass out. Kiba gave him a firm punch in the shoulder.

"Calm down, dude. Your bugs are starting to fly around..."

His fists clenched even harder, then he turned and marched off. He had to get away from here, or something very regrettable may happen.

=o=

The first place he went to was a secluded location near the training ground, where he proceeded to punch an unsuspecting tree until his knuckles were raw and bloody. With every swing, more and more swarms of beetles sprang from his pores. The angrier he became, the more violently they poured from his skin. The bandages which wrapped his previous injuries became damp with blood and sweat. The clouds of insects screamed and buzzed, instinctively attacking the bark of the tree where Shino focused his rage. Never before had he felt such a burning envy...it clawed at him from every angle. It ate away at him, pulled and prodded like a thousand tiny hooks. Finally, after the last few beetles wormed their way out of him, he fell to his knees, hands clasped on his face. His goggles became moist with stained tears. There he lay, pathetic, sobbing...and defeated.

When his anger faded into sadness, the swarm gently settled on his trembling body. They didn't re-enter, only perched there, waiting patiently like a gentle veil while their host recovered. His beetles...his friends and companions..

...his gift...his curse.

=o=

Hinata sat on a bench in Konoha park, twirling a delicate pair of circular sunglasses in her fingers. They didn't really fit her anymore, but she kept them as a keepsake. They made her feel...safe.

"Hey, what are those?"

Hinata immediately flushed, and looked up to find Naruto standing above her.

"Um...a..a.g-gift...from...f-from a friend."

Naruto picked them up out of her lap (much to Hinata's reluctance), opened them up, and put them on his face. He ended up jabbing himself in the eye.

"Ah! Too small for me..."

Hinata couldn't help herself but giggle, as Naruto handed the glasses back to her. She slipped them into her pocket. Naruto smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Um...I was wondering...Kakashi-sensei went out on a mission with Sakura-chan and Ero-sannin is off on some book-research thing, so I'm by myself for lunch. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to Ichiraku. It'll be on tab!"

Hinata blinked, trying to ensure that she wasn't dreaming.

"I..I'd love to, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned wide and threw a fist in the air.

"Eeeeyay! I got myself a date, dattebayo!" He threw an arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner, but Hinata had to take all her strength not to faint.

=o=

It was late in the afternoon when Shino decided he needed a trip to the bathhouse after his rage fit. At that time, he would pretty much have the place to himself, and he could wash off all these miserable inflamed insect wounds without anyone to bother him.

Once he was all settled in on his stool, he tenderly dabbed at the wounds along his arm with a steamy washcloth. They certainly weren't ordinary wounds...they were oddly symmetrical along his entire body, as if they were sockets in which to plug in a machine. Even so, they were ugly, reddened, and painful. Damn it...when had he become such an insufferable baby about things? This wasn't Shino...Shino had a heart made out of granite and children's tears. He had a scowl that would make an oni devil piss himself. He ate letters to Santa for breakfast. Shino Aburame was no one to fuck with. Yet, here he was, curled up in a lonely bath house nursing the wounds of nothing more than a jealous tantrum.

Shino grit his teeth as the washcloth hit a particularly sore spot. _This has to stop_, he thought to himself. He _had _to get a hold of himself. It was only natural that Hinata would find someone else after such a dramatic rejection. Yet...he hadn't really rejected her. He only wanted to put things on the back burner. He hadn't expected Naruto to have returned at such an inconvenient time. He had to accept that Hinata was gone. But...

"Whoaaa, ouch! How'd you get those injuries, Shino?"

Shino's brow flattened in irritation as he looked around to see the last person he wanted to be next to right now.

"It's a long story," he replied glumly. He winced as Naruto poked a spot on his shoulder.

"Could you not?!" Shino yelped as he yanked away from him.

"You know, you should get Sakura-chan to look at those for you. She's so good with her healing now, she could probably wipe them right off you in a matter of minutes!" he exclaimed with an obnoxiously perky smile.

"I'm...really not comfortable with that..." Shino grumbled while subtly turning away from him.

"Hmm...if you say so. Hey, do you know what Hinata's up to? We had lunch together earlier and she bailed right after. I've been trying to find her, but she's tougher to get to than the Akatsuki."

Shino glared straight ahead beneath his goggles. He wanted to knock Naruto's punk-ass head straight off his shoulders right then and there.

"Have you tried looking behind you?" he replied in monotone. Naruto looked behind his shoulder like the idiot that he was.

"Huh? What are you talking about Shino, this is the men's bath. Hinata wouldn't be here."

Shino said nothing and continued to scrub himself furiously. Naruto shrugged and began to wash himself down as well.

"Man, sure is nice in here at this hour with hardly anybody around. We've got this whole place to ourselves! You know, I've always thought it kinda weird to be in a big steamy room with a bunch of naked guys, don't you?"

Shino picked up the bowl of hot water in front of him and splashed it over himself to rinse off. Then he grabbed his towel, dried off, and proceeded towards the exit. Naruto called after him.

"Hey, aren't you gonna soak, Shino?"

"I just remembered something important I have to take care of," he said without pausing.

"Hmm, suit yourself!" Naruto said cheerily, scrubbing away at his foot.

=o=

Shino lay on his futon with a pillow over his face with no sound but the chirps of his insect collection and the whir of his revolving fan in the corner of his room. He heard a quick wrap of knuckles on his door.

"It's unlocked!" He shouted from beneath his pillow.

In came Kiba, who had been visiting Shino so frequently that Shino didn't even bother keeping him out. He brought along the bundled bento from Hinata (which she had continued to have Kiba hand deliver to him, but Shino didn't think much of it since Kiba always received one for himself), as well as a little cylindrical container. Shino peered out from under his pillow at the object in Kiba's claw.

"What's that?" he asked without too much effort.

"A little extra something from Hinata. Word came down from the vine that you're suffering some kind of horrible skin affliction, so she whipped up a batch of her home-made ointment for you."

Shino tossed the pillow aside and lurched from his futon like a zombie would from his grave. Kiba twisted the lid open as Shino approached him and held the open container out for him to take a whiff. After doing so, Shino shook his head briskly.

"Whoa."

"Yeah, this shit is pungent. Should work wonders for ya."

Shino nipped the container from his Kiba's grip, then screwed the lid back on as he dragged himself off to his medicine basket. Kiba wiped an itch on his nose with his sleeve.

"I'll make sure to tell Hinata that you send her your thanks with hugs and kisses."

Shino pinched the space between his eyes. "Shut up."

"Look dude, I know you're playing Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody right now, but whether you believe it or not, Hinata still cares about you, and Naruto being here isn't going to change that. Why can't you just talk to her and tell her how you feel?"

Shino remained silent.

"It's really not that hard. You just knock on her door with a bouquet of flowers, get down on your knee, and say 'Hinata-san, despite all my creepy-crawlies and my terrible moods, I can't keep it hidden any longer...I am deeply, madly, sickeningly in lo-"

Shino slammed his hand down on the table in front of him.

"IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING SIMPLE."

If Kiba had a tail, it would be tucked between his legs. Shino sighed.

"Sorry...I'm just...it's not that easy. I can't even touch her without it being physically painful for me."

Kiba took a seat at the table and rested an elbow on it.

"Well, it didn't used to be like that. You used to not go a day without stroking her cheek or finding some excuse to touch her. Shit, I've never seen you with a desire to make physical contact with anyone outside of battle. What happened between then and now?"

Shino chewed the inside of his lip. "Things became...intimate."

"Ohhhh, I see...well then. Wait, you mean," Kiba's eyes widened, "Oh god, you didn't...you didn't bang her, did you?"

Shino cast him a glare. It was irritating enough letting this much information out.

"We kissed. That's all...but that was enough."

Kiba had his head in his hand now. "Jeez...I'd hate to think what it would be like if you two actually got it on."

A moment of awkward silence passed by.

"Well, why don't you ask your folks about it? I mean, someone had to fuck an Aburame to make you, so clearly there must be a way to do it."

Shino made such a disgruntled sound that Kiba didn't feel like pressing it any further. He got to his feet and dusted something off his pants.

"Alright, well I gotta head out. Akamaru's waiting for me outside and it's getting hot. That big bastard stinks when he sweats."

He turned to let himself out as usual. Shino called out to him.

"Kiba."

Kiba paused in his tracks.

"Thanks...for...for everything."

Kiba gave him a smirk. "Sure, pal. Anytime. Just...get your shit together soon, okay?"

Then he was out the door.

=End of Chapter 6=


	7. Chapter 7

=+Creep+=

=Chapter 7=

Shino had given some thought to confronting his parents about the issue, but since it was unclear whether or not Hinata would give him the time of day, he decided to avoid the awkward conversation for the time being. Instead, he decided to focus on getting his shit together as Kiba had suggested. He started out with taking some calming walks to his favorite bug nests and gathered some new specimens for his collection, then went out to a few lunches with Kiba for some "bro time". They even had Shikamaru tag along at one point. Shino was quite fond of Shikamaru...mostly because he was quiet, and like himself, was very intelligent. He had thought the same of Neji at one point as well, but Shino had no desire to be around any Hyugas. Nor did he want to see anyone loud and upbeat like Chouji, Lee, or anyone who fell in the same filing cabinet as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned.

But, the quiet evenings sharing some intellectual conversations over a few beers certainly perked him up. Shino was no doubt a solitary individual, but even he enjoyed being around bipeds every now and then. Eventually, he even took up a few simple D and C rank missions just so he could get his legs moving and keep his hive from becoming restless. However, it had been at least a couple of months since the entirety of Team 8 did anything together.

Nevertheless, Shino was pretty much back to normal functionality, until he realized that Hinata had stopped sending bento boxes over. The first few times, Kiba had apologized and said that Akamaru had gotten into them before he had a chance to take them over, but Shino soon understood that he was just making excuses to hide the fact that Hinata was no longer making them for him.

Then, Shino made the mistake of walking by the Ichiraku ramen stand. Underneath the cloth banner, he caught a glimpse of the bottom half of two bodies; one orange and black, and the other lilac and navy blue. Cheerful giggling erupted from behind the banner, and Shino's stomach turned to buzzing knots. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened intently.

"Aww, gross! There's a bug in my ramen! Now it's ruined..."

He smirked from beneath his cowl and walked off.

=o=

A week went by, and after an evening stroll, Shino found himself in front of the Hyuga estate. He was in a pretty good mood, so just for the hell of it, he decided to visit his branch. This time he was accompanied by a rather stunning garden spider suspended in an elegant web. Shino nodded to the spider like one would greet an old friend, and settled down next to it to peer down into the window that had been unwatched for so long. The room was pristine as usual, but sadly empty. Shino thought about leaving for a moment, but then he saw the door open. In came Hinata, wrapped in a light, white kimono. Upon further inspection, Shino realized that the kimono's fabric was so thin, that it was practically translucent. Beneath it was a perfectly carved figure composed of the most lovely of curves. Shino swallowed hard, then eyed the spider.

"You, my friend, have chosen a very good spot for your web."

Shino gazed hopelessly from behind his goggles as Hinata grabbed a bottle of something off her shelf, then, much to his joy, began to unwrap her kimono. In the pale light of the moon, her full figure was unknowingly revealed to him.

Hinata was no longer the slender little teenager he had seen dancing on the water that day. She was actually rather heavy-set, with wide hips and a full bosom, thick thighs and an adorable little belly that stuck out a bit. She was curvy and healthy and beautiful. Shino drank in the scene before him. He hadn't even noticed the beetles swarming around him.

Then it occurred to him. Tonight was a full moon...and he was surrounded by little balls of light that only him and one other person knew about.

"Shit, shit, shit...come on you little bastards, get back in me.." he barked in whispered tones as he swung his arms around to gather his insects. In doing so, he accidentally knocked the spider out of his web.

"Ack! Sorry buddy..."

He gently scooped up the spider in his bare hands. The spider crawled onto his sleeve and held still.

"There you go...just hang on for a while. I'll find you a good home."

If there was one thing that Shino was undeniably in tune with, it was insects and arachnids. They were simple creatures, and didn't desire much in the world. Shino knew for a fact that this little spider, intimidatingly yellow and black as it was, was terrified and wanted somewhere dark and safe to be. Why couldn't interacting with other people be as clear-cut as the intentions of this spider?

He looked back to Hinata, who was slowly rubbing herself down with oils from the bottle. As much as Shino had spent time with her, watched her, or interacted with her, he could not understand her like he did his spider. He could not simply give her want she wanted and needed.

Shino stretched out an arm and released a single glowing beetle to make its way toward her window. At the very least, she could know that he was thinking of her. But no sooner had the bug made its way to the glass pane, it was swatted away nonchalantly by the worst possible thing.

"Heyyyyy Hinata-chan! How are you- WHOA! You're naked!"

Hinata shrieked, and quickly grabbed whatever nearby cloth she could to cover herself up. Her face was ladybird red.

"N-n-n-naruto-kun! W-w-what are you doing here?!"

He grinned sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head.

"I came to see if you wanted to take a walk with me...heheh...I guess I came a little late."

Hinata quickly reached for her kimono and wrapped it frantically around herself. She not only looked embarrassed, but she looked downright humiliated. Shino stared daggers into the back of Naruto's head.

"I...I'll go with you...N-Naruto-kun...b-b-but p-please...l-let me get d-dressed first," she said quietly, but loud enough to be heard through the glass.

"Okay! I'll meet you out front in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"O-okay..."

=o=

The night had become a bit misty as Naruto walked about in front of the Hyuga estate, arms behind his head and whistling a merry tune to himself. His whistling slowed when he suddenly spotted a shadowy figure in the moonlit mists, surrounded by a haunting blue glow.

"Uh...hello?" he said, pulling out a kunai from behind his back.

"It's so easy for you, isn't it Naruto?"

"Huh? Who is that?"

Shino stepped out from the mists, making himself visible. Naruto lowered his kunai in relief.

"Oh, it's just you, Shino. Jeez, don't scare me like that."

Shino remained silent.

"What are you doing out here this late?" Naruto asked in his usual friendly tone.

"The real question is what are _you_ doing here this late?" Shino replied coldly.

"Oh, I was just gonna take Hinata-chan out for a walk."

"Of course you are," Shino snapped, approaching Naruto ever so menacingly, "Mr. Bright and Cheerful, whose sun shines out of his ass, adored by all, taking the Hyuga heiress out for a little walk..."

Naruto lifted his kunai again, a nervous expression taking his face. "Dude, what's your problem?"

_"You're _my fucking problem," and Shino was on him in a flash.

Kunais whacked together with a spark, and Naruto managed to shove Shino off of him before the kunai could strike him.

"Whoa! Hang on man, what's the deal?! I didn't do anything to you!"

"You took my light away..." Shino grumbled cryptically, as he swung a leg under Naruto to knock him off his feet with no avail. He continued to throw swings and slashes at him, Naruto on full defense.

"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" Naruto cried out desperately, dodging each attack. Shino jumped a distance away from him, and straightened up. Naruto did the same, a confused, yet angry look adorned his face.

"Look, I don't know what this is about...if you really wanna fight it out then I'll kick your ass for you, but I really don't want to hurt my friends."

Shino let out the laugh of a mindless ego. "You think you can kick my ass? Clearly you've never fought with an Aburame!"

Naruto's eyes widened as clouds of bright blue beetles swarmed out from his opponent, towering above him in a massive cloud. Within seconds, the great swarm was upon him, biting and chewing at every bit of exposed flesh, crawling under his clothes and showing him no mercy. Naruto desperately tried to swat and wipe the horrible insects away, but the more he struggled, the more ferociously the insects gnawed away at him. Naruto cried out in a yelp of pain.

"Shino! Please! Stop them! You win! I don't care what you want, you can have it! Just please, they hurt so much!"

Then Shino was over him with a folded knee pressing into his sternum, and a kunai aimed at his throat. Eyeless goggles stared at the helpless Naruto just a few inches away from his face.

"I'll show you what real pain feels like..." Shino whispered, while pulling back the kunai to strike.

"SHINO! STOP IT!"

Within the blink of an eye, the swarm shrunk back into Shino's sleeves. At the great wooden door of the Hyuga stood an absolutely livid Hinata, Byakugan flared.

"_Get...off of him_..."

Shino calmly got to his feet, then placed his hands in the pockets of his coat as if nothing happened. Hinata then hurried over to the fallen Naruto and helped him sit up, then gently felt the bite marks that littered his quickly swelling face. Hinata quickly turned to Shino, the veins in her Byakugan pulsating with fury. Within two quick movements, she got to her feet and slapped him hard across the face. The force didn't knock him over, but his face remained still, hidden under his cowl and collar.

"How could you?! Naruto is your friend...your comrade! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Shino remained silent. Hinata then went back to Naruto, and cradled his head tenderly. He was in clear amounts of pain, enough that tears were trickling out of the corners of his eyes.

"Come inside, Naruto-kun...I'll put some ointment on you..."she whispered to him softly. Naruto clutched onto her arm feebly. Hinata looked back up at Shino with a glare.

"Go home, Shino."

He turned and quietly walked away, as Hinata helped Naruto back into her home. The last sound that could be heard was the great creaking door slamming shut in its gate.

=End of Chapter 7=


	8. Chapter 8

=+Creep+=

=Chapter 8=

Shino had fucked up.

He considered just turning in his headband and becoming a nomad, to live out the rest of his days in solitude. That's all he deserved. That, or seppuku. No, not seppuku. That was only reserved for noble ninja who sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Shino was just a vile creature...no more than a bag of flesh only suited for hosting a hive of harmful insects. Termite mounds served a better purpose than he did.

How could he have attacked another shinobi of Konoha? Let alone Naruto Uzumaki? Complete idiot as he often was, he was a good guy and revered by the village. He never meant to get in the way of anything, and how could he have known about Shino's feelings for...

He didn't even feel worthy to think of her. She deserved someone like Naruto, a real hero with a fighter's spirit and a heart of gold. Someone with respect who could treat her like a real lady, and not spy in her window like a bug-infested _creep_.

A knock was heard at his door. Shino buried his face in his pillows. He wondered if the knocking was even real. Everything just seemed like a horrible nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. Yet, the knocking wouldn't cease. It must have been three in the morning...why couldn't he just be left alone?

He lifted himself from his futon, then groggily made his way to the door.

"Kiba, I really don't feel like - Hinata?"

She stood before him, hair tied around her shoulder in a ponytail, wearing soft over-sized tee-shirt and a pair of pajama pants with butterfly print. She gave him a stern look. Shino, wearing only his soft blue sweatpants and his perpetual goggles, stared at her in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

She silently held out her arm to him, beautiful and porcelain.

"You left someone behind."

On the top of her delicate little hand rested the little yellow garden spider. Shino paused for a moment, then reached out his hands and carefully cupped them around the specimen to lift it off of Hinata.

"How did you know about this?"

"I saw you knock him out of his web while you were watching me."

Shino swallowed hard.

"You saw the glow of the beetles...I'm...I'm so-"

"It wasn't just tonight. I knew you were there every night you sat on that tree branch, Shino. You can't hide from Byakugan."

Shino was speechless, and terrified. Hinata let herself in, and Shino subconsciously closed the door after her, still holding the spider in a single hand.

"You mean...you saw me...the night you were..."

"Yes, Shino. I knew you were there... I wanted you to see."

She spoke with a frightening confidence in her voice. It startled him...he wasn't sure if he was looking at the real Hinata, but her eyes spoke the truth of her person. Hinata reached out and lifted his goggles to reveal the glistening black pearls underneath him. Her touch and proximity were beginning to stir his insects.

"Hinata..."

"I know about the insects. I know what they do when I'm around you...I don't care. For so long, I've wanted no one but you...I've tried to show you that, but all you did was hide."

Shino wasn't sure what to do. His face had grown pale, he felt exposed, and he still wasn't entirely sure he wasn't dreaming.

"But...what about Naruto?"

Hinata's expression remained calm and collected...as if he was looking at his own reflection.

"A childhood crush. He proved that to me when he told me that he was just hanging around me because his friends suggested it. His heart has always been set on someone else. After that fiasco in front of my home, he decided I wasn't worth the nuisance."

"I'm...sorry..."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Past is past, and now I'm here right now to tell you the truth."

"The...truth?"

Hinata's milky lavender eyes stared deep into the violet abyss of his own.

"The truth is I am in love with you, Shino Aburame. I want to know if you feel the same."

A tear escaped from his eye, and a trembling hand reached for her cheek.

"Am...I...dreaming?" he asked between shallow breaths. Hinata gripped onto the hand reaching for her, and neatly bit the tip of his index finger.

"Ah..." he said in reaction to the sudden pain.

"You're not dreaming Shino...so answer my question. Do you love me?"

Shino's opposite hand, spider still quietly clinging to the back of it, reached for her other cheek while the original resumed its place on the first. He brought his face close to hers.

"Yes," he whispered. "With all of my heart."

Their lips met then, and their bodies desperately pressed against each other. Their cheeks moistened with the tears of a happiness that could only come after so much unhappiness. Hinata wove her arms around Shino's back and gripped him tightly to her. Between her fingers, the feeling of thousands of tiny little legs feathered their way through. She pulled her hands away from him slowly, breaking their kiss as a result. She stared at her fingertips, which were littered with tiny blue and green hues. She looked like a honey-dipped bear guilty of breaking into a bee hive. Shino looked at her with concern, his hands now lightly holding her shoulders. She only looked up at him and smiled.

"Your beetles are you, Shino. They're a part of who you are. I love them as I love you."

A wide smile spread across his face, and he reached down to pick her up into his arms. The two of them were dotted with blue and green as he carried her to the once lonely futon, and laid her down in the light of the full moon. On her great bosom rested the garden spider, who was bouncing in place. Shino chuckled and dragged a finger under it to lift it off of her and set it aside on a nearby shelf.

"Those spiders have quite a bite, you know. I'm surprised you handled it so well," Shino said softly, gazing at the lovely woman on his bed.

"It was only scared, and just wanted to be somewhere dark and safe."

How perfect. Whatever regretful series of events happened up to this point, Shino would do it all again in a heartbeat. She had opened herself to him, she was his to explore. But he was patient...a creature this lovely needed to be sipped slowly. She had to be delicately savored, bit by bit.

He began with her stomach. He leaned over her, and tenderly lifted up the edge of her shirt, revealing the milky skin beneath it. On that little glimpse of skin, he planted the softest of kisses. With her approval, he continued to her hips, making sure not to miss any bit of her marvelous curves. Hinata let out a giggle. Shino looked up to find her cheeks covered in soft blue lights.

"Hee...they tickle...they're so warm."

Shino smiled and continued to inch his way up her stomach with kisses, blue and green lights accompanying him across her skin. Hinata reached towards his face to tap him lightly on the cheek.

"Use your hands now," she whispered, her face illuminated with bio-light.

And hands she received. He trailed his fingers up her sides, giving her a light tickle. As he got closer to her arms, he realized that the only thing containing her full bosom was the light fabric of her shirt. He eyed her for silent permission to go further. Hinata replied with a nod, and before taking any action, he put a little thought into his next move. With a sly grin, he nipped the edge of her shirt with his teeth and peeled it up to her chin, then planted a quick kiss on her lips before tugging the rest of the shirt over her head. Puffs of little lights lifted off her like delicate little spores in an enchanted forest. She wrapped her arms around him and gently squeezed herself against him, being careful not to crush any of the little lights floating and flickering around between them.

When their bare skin pressed together, a wave of warmth that Shino had never known washed over him. He fell to his side so that he could lay next to her and grip her tightly to him. His lips went on an adventure from her mouth to her jawline, took a hidden trail down her neck, then ventured into the garden of her collarbone, where a nest of lights burst into a small plume before floating off somewhere in the bedroom. Hinata reacted to his exploration with a melody of soft moans and the occasional gasp right when he touched a particularly sensitive spot.

Kiba had always told Shino that when a woman wants you, you can smell it. The scent overwhelms you, and invites you in. Shino had just thought it was all Inuzuka babble, but Kiba was right, and he didn't need insects to tell him so. Hinata wanted him with every aspect. He could see it in the eyes that so elegantly complimented his own. He could feel it in the motion of her body, and her scent...ohh, that _scent. _It drove the man absolutely mad.

Yet, Shino was not one to lose his senses over responsibility. It was right around the time when Hinata began clawing at the hem of his sweatpants that he realized just what kind of trouble he might be getting himself into. He lightly grabbed the doll-like hand so eagerly ready to expose him, and he brought it up to his lips for quick kiss.

"Hinata...?" he asked softly, staring straight into her lavender pearls.

"Mmm?" she replied sweetly.

"Have...you ever done this before?"

Hinata was still for a moment, he expression unwavering. "Yes."

"I mean, all the way?"

She giggled. "Yes Shino, all the way."

He couldn't help but ponder this. Hinata was the most pure little angel in Konoha, who on earth could she have made love with before?

"You want to know who..."

He snapped from his daze. He would soon have to accept that when they were this close, Hinata was a mind reader.

"Well...I am a bit curious," he stated quietly.

"Are you sure you want to know...?"

"Only if you're comfortable telling me."

Hinata broke eye contact, he cheeks flushing a bit. Surely it wasn't Naruto who could have...?

Hinata took a quick breath. "There's a custom in the Hyuga clan...when a girl in the head clan 'blossoms into womanhood,' as they say, they must be 'deflowered,' by a member of the clan...so that they always belong to the family. It's considered great taboo to give your virginity to a member outside of the clan."

Shino felt really uneasy with this information. Of course, there were far worse relationships in shinobi history...nevertheless, it was odd to hold on to old customs like this in this day and age.

Hinata continued, now lying on her back and staring at the ceiling.

"It doesn't matter who deflowers you though, as long as it's within the clan. It's usually done by...a member of the side family."

It suddenly occurred to him.

"...Neji?" he asked reluctantly, feeling a bit of bile in the back of his throat.

Hinata closed her eyes and solemnly nodded. Shino's stomach turned.

"It wasn't all that bad, really...we've always been close, and I knew it was coming for years. It wasn't enjoyable...nor did it last very long. He just acted like he was doing his duty."

Shino said nothing. Hinata sat up and looked at him, realizing that her confession probably was not the best thing to say before trying to get laid.

"I'm.. ...I sh-shouldn't have told you. I-it doesn't change anything, though...I-I can be with whomever I want n-now..."

Shino looked up at her. He honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to continue at this point...it seemed to put Hinata in a whole new perspective for him now. It was already disappointing enough that he couldn't be the one to give Hinata he first sexual experience, and knowing she participated in this foul incestual ritual just made it practically unbearable.

But then, he noticed what was going on behind her. It had never occurred to him that during their moment of passion, he had experienced no pain from his insects at all, and he realized why. They had been perpetually leaking out of him, and as a result, had spread all over his apartment in a thick, glowing sheet. It was like a phosphorescent paint can had exploded in the middle of the room. The thing that stunned him the most though, was that it wasn't even phasing Hinata.

It was then he realized how selfish he was. Who was he to judge her? After all that he put her through, and after practically torturing her beloved comrade in front of her, she continued to love him unconditionally, despite everything. She loved him for everything that he was, and everything that was in him. The very least he could do was provide the same unconditional love in return.

Shino placed his hands gently on her cheeks, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead before meeting her eyes with his own.

"We all have skeletons in our closet, Hinata...although, mine happen to be exoskeletons..."

She giggled lightly at his comment, which settled into a smile. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Now, that just leaves one more question..."

Hinata tilted her head, her smile fading a bit.

"Are you protected?"

Her smile returned. "Sakura-san gave me my shot just last month!"

He grinned. "Then let's get out of these pants."

=o=

Their lovemaking lasted for hours. The first round only lasted about ten minutes, because unlike Hinata, Shino really _hadn't_ done this before. But, he did remember Kiba's advice: If you ever want to know how to please a lady, just ask her.

Which he did. Quite a bit, actually, but she was perfectly happy to provide answers for him. Plus, Shino was a very quick learner. When he entered her for the second time, she was gripping the edges of his futon for dear life. After tiring themselves out from that round, they held each other for a few moments, breathing heavily, yet not speaking a word. When Shino gained a bit of his strength back, he decided to treat Hinata to a few pleasures of her own with a pair of moistened fingertips between her thighs. It look him a lot longer than expected, but the sound that escaped her lips afterwards was well worth the wait.

It was a surprise to the both of them how hungry Shino was for her, even after wearing themselves out. Of course, anyone who had shared a room at the bathhouse with Shino long enough was well aware of the "giant caterpillar" that appeared between his legs. He wasn't entirely sure why such a thing seemed to command an air of respect in his direction, until now. When he saw the pallet of pink and red that painted Hinata's cheeks when she felt it within her, he knew it was something to be proud about. Although, wile he had never really had any trouble with it before, he realized that this particular bug would be harder to control than all of his beetles combined.

By the end of the third round, they lay completely apart from each other, panting and caked in each other's effluvia, with only the occasional gust of wind from the oscillating fan to relieve them of the heat. At that point, Shino was certain that he never wanted to do this again.

"Hinata..." he managed to muster between breaths.

"Unh," she grunted.

"I love you."

"I lo...y...tuh.."

Fair enough.

=End of Chapter 8=


	9. Epilogue

=+Creep+=

=Epilogue=

Shino awoke the next day to a shimmering light reflecting in his open window. The intense light seared in his sensitive dark eyes, and he felt around for his goggles. They had been neatly folded next to his pillow. After strapping them on and blinking into focus, he realized that the garden spider had made its new home in the middle of his window. He also noticed that all of the beetles that had painted his walls the previous night were gone, along with the beautiful woman that had fallen asleep next to him. Shino sighed and stared at the spider.

"I guess it's just you and me, lil' guy."

"I decided to call her 'Buttercup,' and it's a lady, by the way."

Shino lifted a brow at the disembodied voice, then shuffled his sweatpants on and meandered sleepily into the next room. Hinata was darting around his kitchen making culinary masterpieces with ingredients he was positive he didn't previously own.

"Where did you...how did you...what?"

Hinata smiled and giggled, pouring some sizzling material onto a bowl of fresh, steaming rice.

"I felt so good when I woke up, I decided to make you breakfast. All you had was cup ramen and some random condiments, so I went down to the market and got some ingredients for this."

Shino wandered over to his table where Hinata placed a bowl for him. The meal was an odd combination of eggs, meat, and vegetables.

"Smells good, but what is it?"

Hinata grabbed her own bowl and sat down across from him.

"It's a Western-style dish...it'll give you lots of energy. Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu."

Shino shoveled a mass of the unusual substance into his face, then paused.

"Damn, Hinata."

She looked up curiously.

"This is amazing. You're real wife material."

Her cheeks flared a carnation pink as she looked down and shyly picked at her meal.

"I feel I have to ask," Shino mentioned while leaning a a cheek on his hand, "How did you know that garden spider was female?"

"I read it in a book you had on your shelf this morning. They female ones are yellow and the male ones are long and brown."

"Very good," he replied with a soft smile.

"Your passion for insects made me want to learn about them. When I woke up, I saw all the species you had all around your apartment...they were all so interesting, especially the little green one with the arms like this."

She held her arms up to her chest with her hands pointed down.

"Ah, the praying mantis. One of my favorites."

"And of course that beautiful moth you have, and the butterfly...and the jar of ladybugs..."

As she rambled on and on about his menagerie, Shino just leaned on his hand and smiled at her. He'd never seen someone outside of the Aburame clan have such an interest in entomology, let alone a female someone. He found himself falling more in love with her by the second.

"...but my favorite has to be Buttercup. After all, she was the one who lead me to you."

Shino perched his goggles on his forehead, so that she could see his eyes.

"In that case, I think Buttercup is my favorite as well."

They both looked back at the spider in his bedroom, perched quietly on her beautiful web.

=o=

That day, Shino formally apologized to Naruto, who was happy to accept it. Being the Jinchuriiki did wonders for bug bites, and after a good night's rest and Hinata's ointment, he barely had a bump on him. Naruto was also pleased to see that Hinata had found someone that would return the love she was able to give, and wished the best for the two of them.

In fact, most of the young shinobis in Konoha were quite excited about the new couple. Despite the oddities of the pair, most agreed that they were perfect for each other. The only civilians of Konoha that were apprehensive about them were the Hyuga clan. Hiashi wasn't too keen about his daughter spending late nights with a bug-wielder, but Shino wasn't too worried about it. He would prove himself worthy eventually.

For he was a very patient man.

=+The End+=

_Author's Note: I wanted to give a special thanks to all the people who took the time to read my fic. This was the first fic I've written in several years, but I had a lot of fun writing it, thanks to the encouragement of my readers._

_Shino and Hinata are such a tragically under-appreciated pairing, so if you liked this one, I'll more than likely come out with more. I also have some other pairings in mind for later fics. I appreciate any and all feedback! Thanks again. : )_


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